Visiting Venice…Take Galoshes

When my sister and I visited Venice last summer, we ran into some unexpected weather. Only spending 2 days in this lovely city, we were not met with much sunshine. However, we were certainly not going to let that ruin our time there, so we pulled out the umbrellas, unfolded the map, and prepared to make our way through the charming areas of Venice.

Spending much of our day touring Doge’s Palace, visiting Rialto Bridge, and scouring our way through the narrow streets, we eventually decided that it was time to partake in the delicacies that Venice had to offer. Coming to St. Mark’s Square, we were halted by the sight before us. Now, I’ve heard for years that Venice is a place that everyone must visit at least one in their life because the city is literally sinking. Completely surrounded by water, I found it to be quite unique that only one car seemed to rest in the city. However, as much as I loved taking the water taxis from place to place, I didn’t think I would need to take one through the middle of St. Mark’s Square.

There, in the middle of the square, were people wading nearly knee deep in water. The rain that had fallen most of the day had practically flooded the square. Looking at my sister, we wondered if we might be exiled to one side, but luckily there was a narrow strip of ground that was dry. Deciding that I’d rather not walk around in wet, squishy tennis shoes and wet jeans, we opted to make our way to the dry pathway. As we passed through, I noticed there were many people who smiled, rolled up their pants, and walked on through.

By the time we made it back to the hotel, we learned that we could have rented galoshes…who knew? I guess when you live in Venice though; it’s not such a bad thing to invest in a pair. Either that, or just hike up your jeans and trudge on through.